A wedding planner is a professional who assists with the design, planning, and management of a client’s wedding.
Wedding planners are often used by couples who work long hours and have little spare time available for sourcing and managing wedding venues and wedding suppliers.
What exactly does a wedding planner do?
Wedding Planners help couples successfully plan their wedding day and see that everything runs smoothly. As a wedding planner, your responsibilities include establishing a planning timeline and working with the bride and groom to choose everything from attire, to ceremony and reception venues, music, and food.
Can anyone be a wedding planner?
You don’t need a degree to become a wedding planner. Anyone can become a wedding planner with the right experience, drive, and curiosity for the wedding industry. Don’t worry to much about having a college degree. Instead, try taking some online courses to learn the wedding planning ropes.
Can anyone be a wedding planner?
You don’t need a degree to become a wedding planner. Anyone can become a wedding planner with the right experience, drive, and curiosity for the wedding industry. Don’t worry to much about having a college degree. Instead, try taking some online courses to learn the wedding planning ropes.
Below is How To Be A Wedding Planner In South Africa
The wedding planner becomes the bride’s best friend in the lead-up to her wedding, taking care of all the details, smoothing out problems, and keeping track of all the service providers involved.
Step 1: Establish clear-cut wedding planning goals.
These goals will probably change over time, and that’s OK. But it’s important to head into any endeavor with a plan. Do you dream of planning celebrity weddings, a la Mindy Weiss? Maybe you want to work with venues in your hometown to give locals the day of their dreams.
Step 2: Conduct industry research.
Once you have your goals, start researching how you’re going to reach them. To get started, form a list of questions you don’t know the answer to. How much money can I make? Are wedding planners in high demand? How can I get my first client? Just like goals, make it a priority to research the market before getting started.
Step 3: Consider formal wedding planner training.
You don’t need a special degree or certification to become a wedding planner. But if you want to head into the industry and you have little-to-no experience, learning the ropes and all of the ins and outs can be extremely beneficial.
The American Association of Certified Wedding Planners, for example, was “created by wedding professionals who saw the need for an organization dedicated to the education of those seeking to become wedding planners, and to elevate those already in the field through certification and continuing education.” The organization offers in-person and online training.
Step 4: Write a business plan.
Remember those Step 1 goals and the Step 2 research? A lot of that information can go towards writing your business plan. There are tons of resources and templates online to help, and we go into greater detail in a separate post, The Essential Steps to Starting an Event Management Business.
Here are some highlights of what your business plan should include:
Executive summary. Write down your goals and your mission statement. Map out why you think your business will succeed — and how you’ll go about doing it.
Company summary. Is the wedding planning business going to be just you, or do you plan on having a team? Include your backstory, location, and just about anything else you’d share on your website’s “about” section.
Products and services to be offered. This is where you go into detail about what you are and aren’t going to offer. Plus, how much are you going to charge? Who do you consider your immediate competition? Don’t forget to establish ways that you can stand out.
Step 5: Create a marketing plan.
Whether you want to be an independent planner, part of an agency, or anything in between, your business will have a hard time taking off without the right marketing plan. Just like wedding venue marketing, wedding planner marketing is all about understanding what couples want and then reaching those couples on the channels that they use.
Here are a few tips:
Utilize social media. Pinterest alone brings in approximately 40 million people each year for wedding planning guidance. If you don’t already have a presence, make that a priority. And the same thing goes for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Post often but not just for the sake of posting and utilize relevant hashtags to reach more people.
Start blogging. Whether this is a blog on your website or guest posts on various wedding blogs and magazines, this is a great way to gain recognition and use your voice to provide value.
What qualifications do you need to be a wedding planner?
While you don’t necessarily need a degree qualification to become an Events Planner, they may be an advantage to your career progression. Consider completing a diploma or degree in event management, hospitality management, public relations, or communications.
How much does a wedding planner cost in South Africa?
Wedding planners can cost anywhere between R10 000 – R85 0000, depending on the package you choose and what it entails. Some wedding planners charge a % of your total wedding budget, while others charge a once-off fee.
The Wedding Fairy offers On-the-Day Coordination and Full Wedding Planning at a once-off fee.
What is the best month to get married in South Africa?
Meaning May and June, which are winter months, are now becoming quite popular for weddings.
March and April are also top choices, as it is inter-seasonal – not quite the cold of winter yet and no longer the boiling hot Cape summer weather. The most popular answer is still obviously Summer.
What is the average age to get married in South Africa?
According to a report released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Marriages and Divorces, 2019, the median age of bridegrooms increased from 36 years in 2015 to 37 years in 2019. Similarly, the age of brides increased from 31 years to 33 years over the same period.
How much does a wedding cost for 100 guests in South Africa?
The cost of a wedding. Costs vary greatly depending on the size and location of the wedding.
According to professional wedding planners, Great Occasions, the average cost of a wedding in South Africa is between R70,000 – R80,000 for 80 to 100 people.